A low pressure system exiting the United States from the Delmarva Peninsula brought rain and then snow to the Lehigh Valley and heavy snow in the Poconos. Accumulations averaged 2 to 4 inches in the Lehigh Valley and 5 to 10 inches in the Poconos. Following the pattern of other winter storms this season, the accumulating snow hit the evening commute the hardest which was described as a nightmare in the Poconos. Precipitation in the Lehigh Valley started as rain the morning of the 23rd around sunrise and changed to snow during the afternoon. The snow ended around Midnight EST on the 24th. In the Poconos, precipitation started as snow around sunrise on the 23rd and mixed with sleet and rain at times during the morning over the lower elevations. The snow continued through the night and ended just before sunrise on the 24th.Dozens of crashes occurred as vehicles skidded from roadways, overturned or became stuck. The Pocono evening commute started poorly as three tractor-trailers jack-knifed on westbound Interstate 80 just west of Blakeslee at 330 p.m. This closed the Interstate in both directions in Carbon and Monroe Counties until 8 p.m. EST. The eastbound side was reopened at 8 p.m. EST and the westbound side was reopened at 9 p.m. EST. Firefighters used all terrain vehicles to help lead stranded traffic off of the Interstate. Interstate 80 was not alone as accidents and impassable hills led to stopped traffic for 3 to 5 hours through the evening commute on Interstate 380 and Pennsylvania State Routes 33, 115, 196, 611, 903 and 940. On Pennsylvania State Route 33 between Wind Gap (Northampton County) and Stroudsburg, commuters were averaging a speed of one mile per hour. The bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions made it difficult for PennDOT crews to clear the roads. Commutes from New York City took up to eight hours. Even some lesser roads were closed. A school bus became stuck in the snow in Tobyhanna Township (Monroe County) and some school children were stranded at their school before finally getting home later that day in Carbon County. The combination of accidents and the heavy wet snow led to downed trees in Pike and Monroe Counties and about 16,100 homes and businesses lost power. All power was restored by the 25th. In the Lehigh Valley, the change to snow led to dozens of accidents. A car crash led to a serious injury in Weisenberg Township (Lehigh County). In Plainfield Township (Northampton County), a male driver avoided serious injuries even though his vehicle skidded across opposing traffic and landed in a creek. The most serious damage in the valley occurred in Washington Township when a vehicle skidded off a road and slid between a home and a utility pole. The vehicle's passenger side struck and ruptured an oil tank and a natural gas line on the side of the home. This caused an explosion that set the house on fire. The homeowner ran out the back door and the driver and passengers of the vehicle were also uninjured. The flames charred the north side of the home and claimed the lives of the homeowner's pet snake and cat. Everything within the house was destroyed. About two dozen people were evacuated until the natural gas line was closed. They all returned by the next morning. Accumulations included 10.5 inches in Tobyhanna (Monroe County), 8.0 inches in Albrightsville (Carbon County) and Pocono Summit (Monroe County), 7.8 inches in Bossardsville (Monroe County), 6.0 inches in East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), 5.5 inches in Lehighton (Carbon County), 3.5 inches in Williams Township (Northampton County), 2.0 inches in Forks Township (Northampton County) and 1.3 inches at the Lehigh Valley International Airport.The late winter storm was caused by a low pressure system that formed in the Southern Plains States on the 21st and moved east and reached Memphis, Tennessee early in the evening on the 22nd, in central Kentucky around sunrise on the 23rd, just west of Norfolk at 1 p.m. EST on the 23rd, just east of Wallops Island, Virginia at 7 p.m. EST on the 23rd and about 200 miles east of Cape May, New Jersey at 1 a.m. EST on the 24th.

Winter Storm in CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 23-MAR-05 06:00:00 to 24-MAR-05 05:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm in MONROE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 23-MAR-05 06:00:00 to 24-MAR-05 05:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather in LEHIGH, PENNSYLVANIA
From 23-MAR-05 16:00:00 to 24-MAR-05 02:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Weather in NORTHAMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 23-MAR-05 16:00:00 to 24-MAR-05 02:00:00 (EST)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER